Despite Covid-19 cancelling last year's sprint nationals, Te Ringa Miti Tai Heke Whanganui Waka-Ama Club chairperson, Hone Tamehana, claims the Waka-Ama club has come back with a 'renewed passion for both growth and competition”.

Over the past five months, a huge effort between paddlers and whānau resulted in intense training, planning and the securing of funding to get all 10 teams to the 2023 Waka-Ama Sprint Nationals.

Their youngest paddler this year was five years of age and the eldest 72.

'What we have seen this year is an increase in whānau paddling, with a few mama and tamariki combos, siblings, grandparents and mokopuna,” states Tamehana. This sport definitely caters for all,” says Hone.

For the past four years, the club had no junior teams due to a lack of both capacity and resources. However, a group of young members decided to revive the junior club and successfully took five teams, 35 tamariki to this year's Nationals.

The club was able to purchase new life jackets for all the tamariki thanks to the generosity of the Tu Manawa Fund via Sport Whanganui.

New goals for 2023 include securing funding to purchase W6 Waka to increase the capacity for multiple teams to train at the same time. Amiria Paranihi, the only W1 paddler representing the club this year, made everyone proud making the Premier Women Final in her first Nationals in a single Waka.

Amiria Paranihi. Photo: Supplied.

Her tamariki, Maikara-Jordan and Mia McDonnell, steered for the junior teams also for their first time.

'The lead up was pretty scary, but looking back now, I'm excited to see how I can improve for next year,” says Amiria.

'I am so grateful to have such amazing support from our club whānau. The encouragement before the races and praise afterward was massive!

'It felt like everyone was on the water with me. I am also so proud of my kids for getting in to the steerers seat for their teams. Especially Maikara-Jordan after breaking his arm and coming in to the team later than the others.

'I love that Waka-Ama caters for all ages, the highlight for me as a Mama is being able to complete with my babies.”

Another first for the club this year was having two Premier Women teams compete with over half of those paddlers being new to the sport.

As a squad, they progressed to semi-finals in all their races. This coming year looks set to be a busy one with teams wanting to build to qualify for the Worlds 2024 competition in Hawaii.

Te Ringa Miti Tai Heke Whanganui Waka-Ama club claims Waka Ama to be a growing sport in Aotearoa and has huge benefits for participants physically, mentally, culturally and in the regard to community.

Any interested participants or funders can find out more about the club by emailing trmth.wakaama@gmail.com.